Residents need to feel empowered by their hospitals

Medical Education
May 14, 2014

“Are you more or less cynical than when you started residency?”

This was the question my program director asked our senior internal medicine residents at a recent dinner with Dr. Bob Wachter. If you aren’t familiar with Dr. Wachter, he is widely acclaimed as the “father of hospital medicine” and a renowned champion of patient safety and quality. His blog, Wachter’s World, is chock full of insightful commentary on the American health …

Read more…

Residents need to feel empowered by their hospitals

The transition from chief resident to attending

Medical Education
January 28, 2014

During my year as a chief resident, I have the privilege to attend on the general medicine service for 8 weeks. I recently completed 4 weeks and, as expected, found myself in an entirely new realm of patient care and accountability. I would be remiss without recalling a few of the pivotal lessons and poignant moments that stand out.

Transitioning from resident to attending inevitably results in greater scrutiny. Despite my best …

Read more…

The transition from chief resident to attending

The fallacy of the current resident duty hour rules

Medical Education
October 4, 2013

Discussions of resident duty hour reforms reached the point of ad nauseam a few years ago.  Everyone had their say — program directors (“In 2003 we instituted an 80 hour work week, in 2011 we switched to 16 hour shifts, what’s next – online residencies!?”), senior residents (“What? I have to write H&Ps again? I don’t even know my computer password!”), interns (“I thought I was done with cross-covering after this …

Read more…

The fallacy of the current resident duty hour rules